


Fall & Rise

by CringePhase



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Brother dynamics, Gen, Not cest in the slightest they are family, Scute Squad centric, Season 1, Secret Santa, Self-Doubt, Short One Shot, admittedly it is more, brothers being brothers, leo centric, what do we say to low self confidence? Not Today
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:41:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28461837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CringePhase/pseuds/CringePhase
Summary: As a rule, the Hamato family stood for one thing above all else--above even protecting the world from the unspeakable dark armor. Sure, some of the ancestors might disagree, but the Hamatos currently burdened with the family crest called the shots now. Hamato Yoshi made that as clear as he could with his trusted paper shredder.Now, the Hamatos looked out for each other. They helped each other. When one falls, they all jump after. When one rises, he brings them all with him.
Relationships: Leonardo & Michelangelo (TMNT)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 43





	Fall & Rise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [arachnid_writes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arachnid_writes/gifts).



> Takes place during Season 1

Leonardo never quite considered himself anything other than the face man. Sure he had decent plans sometimes, but they all did. His family were some of the smartest, bravest, and kindest people he knew. He had good charisma, and some ninja skills, but beyond that he never quite felt the need for a role beyond his ease to talk. 

It didn't bother him. Honest. He was proud of his family. How could he not? He was totally fine with being the lazy brother, to let his awesome brothers blow it out of the water while he tags along. Besides, they all kicked butt both separately and together, isn’t that all that mattered?

Well...he kicks butt when the darn portal sword works. He just needed practice with it, that’s all. He is so used to the twin katanas he grew up with, the odachi was new. It’s not like his brothers picked up their mystic weapons like it was easy. Sure, maybe they _were_ a little more reliable in their mystic control than him, but again, that didn’t bother him. He loved his family. He loved being a part of it. Honest.

He was totally fine with the possibility of never fully grasping his portal powers. They wouldn’t leave him behind for that. Even if he did hold them back...

Leo was all ready for a chill, if not existential, night when Mikey hit him with his signature pleading eyes and a request to hang out on the surface. This was a surprise, since after the box turtle’s solo mission to retrieve their video game, the freedom to go to the surface on his own was slightly more available to him. Sure Raph would give him the usual nag before he left, but Mikey didn’t need a babysitter anymore. Leo was understandably confused on the summons, but he wasn’t one to turn down an invite to hang with any of his brothers.

"Hurry up, _second place_!" Michelangelo’s voice fell back to him as he laughed joyfully. His kusari fundo propelled himself further ahead in his imaginary race.

"Hey," Leo used the warning tone only big brothers could utilize, "I thought we were past that!" Nevertheless he did try to speed up his pace. Self doubt really needed to take a backseat to big brother pride if he wanted to win this apparent race Mikey decided they were having.

"Yeah," Mikey gave him a quick wicked smile as he landed a few paces in front of him and turned. "But it makes you run faster."

Leo's gasp would have been dramatic had it not been lost in his panting. He caught up with his little brother exhaustedly, but he refused to fold his posture any lower than his proud _taller_ height. 

"You…" He took in a few more breaths, "evil, evil little brother."

"I am pure 100% concentrated sunshine, baby!" Mikey shot back, quickly smoothing his outright evil smirk with a full faced smile, laced with all the inherent teasing vibes a little brother possessed.

"Uh-huh." Leo deadpanned, pretending like it wasn't true. He sighed out as he caught his breath. "Remind me again why I came out here with you."

"You love me, stripey-est brother." Mikey's warm smile did turn Leo's leer into a fonder smirk.

"Fine, fine." Just because Leo rolled his eyes doesn't mean he missed Mikey's teasing blep. With lightning speed he grabbed onto his little brother’s tongue in retaliation, careful not to pull too hard and hurt him. "You forgot the part where you bribed me with Sydney-level stunts. C'mon Miguel, don't leave a turtle hanging!"

Leo let go and Mikey’s devious smirk was instantly back. "Alright, check it:"

The youngest brother explained his grand plan from their location on the rooftops. Their safety was insured by years of hiding practice. Common New Yorker eyes would never spot them, they were too well versed in the ninja art of hiding in plain sight. This meant Mikey could use grand sweeping gestures and exclamations to describe what stunts he wanted to pull, and no human was the wiser. 

A pair of vengeful eyes peered at their location. The self-proclaimed “Scute Squad” forgot to factor in the growing population of former humans. Mutants, similar to themselves, lived within the city limits as well. And the Mad Dogz tended to get on a lot of the mutants’ hit list. The mutant currently tracking them allowed one gleeful, sharp, smile to grace his face.

"Huh…" Leo pondered his brother's words, looking over at the bright beautiful city they loved, picturing the scene in which had just been described to him. "That is…...totally an idea I can get behind."

"Really??”

“Seriously, bro? It’s _beyond_ Sydney-level!” Leo slid his odachi from its hold in preparation. “It’s genius! And you can tell Donnie I used that right.”

Mikey smiled as he soaked up the praise like a sponge in a sink. “So we can do it?”

“Yea-uhhhh…” Leo faltered, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous as he ran through the plan in his head.

They could _totally_ pull it off, he was sure of it! ….If his portal abilities worked on the first try. And if they didn’t, and he couldn’t manifest the right portal to the right place, then….

They would fall.

He wasn’t used to this feeling of insecurity. If it were just him, then he’d try it no problem but... 

He remembered portaling him and his brothers into the wrong dimension, hurling a tank full of his family towards a horrific eldritch monster. Sure, he fixed it, but…

What if he hadn’t?

And what if he fails again now? He’d drag Mikey down with him.

That was unacceptable.

“Well….” Leo started, hesitantly putting his odachi back into its sheath and prompting a confused look from Mikey. “Maaaaaaybeee we should…..try this if I….get a handle on this whole….portal sword thing…?”

Leo crossed his arms and looked anywhere that wasn’t Mikey, unwilling to see the disappointment in his little brother’s eyes. He missed the simple blank stare Mikey held instead as Leo’s choice of words echoed in his head. 

If. Not when. _If._

“What?” Mikey asked carefully, keeping any tone of accusation or disappointment out of his voice. “But you portal things all the time?”

“Well, Yeah, but!” Leo shook a hand out anxiously, the weight of his odachi heavy on his shell. He tapped his other hand on his arm rhythmically to keep it from joining its twin. “Not always….where I want them to go. They fail all the time, remember?”

“.....So?” Mikey countered simply. “Isn’t that how we learn?”

Leo sent a desperate look to his brother. “Ok, yeah, sure, but--”

“Well, sounds to me my favorite Leon needs a mood boost!”

Against his better wishes, Leo laughed at that exclamation and the elbow nudge that came with it. Mikey’s secret weapon was always his ability to bring people back up--he took his role as “hype man” close to heart. He should’ve known it would be used against him.

A figure crept in the shadows, using their distraction as the ultimate cover. Hiding in plain sight, just like them. To think that he thought his training was for the entertainment scene...No, his training was for taking down the ones who _took it all from him_. The hulkish shadow lined himself up for the ultimate reveal, readying himself for a charge.

But first, a professional always makes an entrance. “Sorpresa, tortugas!”

The teens’ heads whipped to the intrusion right as the bear mutant began his terrifying charge, claws and teeth on full display. Leo could feel his heart rate skyrocket at the reveal, while Mikey just blinked in surprise.

“Ghostbear?” He wondered aloud, seemingly unafraid of the charging professional-wrestler-turned-bear-mutant that was rapidly approaching. Mikey knew he didn’t have to be afraid of the villain when he put all of his faith into his brother.

Leo took the lead instead, easily scooping his little brother into his arms just like he used to do when they were small and lunging out of the way. Keeping a hand on Mikey’s shell as the box turtle instinctively wrapped himself around him, Leo was able to quickly maneuver them both to safety. Mikey’s faith in him was well-placed, and well-earned.

Ghostbear skidded to a stop right at the edge they once inhabited. His claws dug into the building below them, leaving long marks as it acted as his brake. He turned to the title-stealing thieves and snarled.

“We didn’t even do anything!” Leo sighed out, depositing Mikey back onto solid ground. “Y’know this hero stuff _sounded_ cool before we made all of these bad guys hate us!”

“You say you did nothing?? You amatuer fighters broke my streak and _stole_ the title that was rightfully mine!” The man stood at his full height, casting a shadow on the space between them. “And now, I am here to get even!”

“Yeah, and then J. Jaclyn stole that title from _us_!” Leo reminded, crossing his arms in distaste for the sport where apparently cheaters can prosper and benefit. They already get enough of that in their superhero life, none of them understood why that had to bleed onto the sports they enjoyed as well. It was scummy.

“Hey, Ghostbear,” Mikey piped up sweetly, full with the same puppy dog eyes he attacked Leo with earlier, “Do you think you can come back when Raph is here? It would really make his day!”

There was a pause of silence as Ghostbear dumbfoundedly stared at the requestee. Leo slowly and casually wrapped an arm around his dear brother and spoke out of the corner of his mouth, “What are you doing??”

“I’m being nice! Doing the face man thing, like you!”

Before Leo could respond, the villain in their midst began to cackle a mean and mocking laugh. Leo subconsciously placed himself in between the cackling ex-wrestler and his brother.

“Come back? I do not care about your familia!” Ghostbear put as much mocking energy he could into that last word. “I am here for…” He pointed a menacing claw at the striped teenager before him, “ _him._ ”

Leo opened his mouth to respond, but Mikey beat him to the punch. “Oh, do you want to offer _Primetime_ a career in team wrestling? My guy do we have a deal for you!”

“Mikey--” Leo tried to interject, wide eyes flickering back and forth between his brother and the guy who wanted him dead.

“No!!!” Ghostbear roared, the phantom sound of an actual bear in his accented voice. “I am here to take revenge on the blue one that stole my win, stupid!”

“Hey!” Leo’s courage returned in one fell swoop and pointed a finger right back at the villain. “Whose brother are you calling stupid, you has-been?”

There was a half-second of stunned silence before a growl started in the Bear’s chest. His face seemed to darken in his rage and his fists clenched tighter and tighter. Leo smiled nervously and looked back at Mikey.

“Run.”

The Scute Squad began their mad dash to the next rooftop as the Ghostbear clambered after them, growling with all the power of his animalistic mutated DNA. He charged on all fours, feeling the natural instinct to do so. If it meant getting even, Ghostbear would give all of his humanity to the power.

Leo led the tactical retreat, leaping the distance of rooftop after rooftop. He could hear the buildings’ damage under Ghostbear’s massive claws. He spared a quick look over his shoulder to see the enraged wrestler was gaining on them. “Why did I say that???” Leo lamented in panic.

“That wasn’t the plan???”

Leo’s head whipped back to his brother and sent him a bewildered look. “No! Why would that be the plan?”

Mikey tried to shrug but the action was lost in all the running. “I don’t know! You’re so smart with plans I thought it was on purpose!”

“Wh-Nothing I do is on purpose!!” Leo yelled as they jumped the distance of another rooftop.

“What?? But you make everything look so easy!” Mikey admitted, genuinely surprised at the insinuation that his brother’s amazing accomplishments were not seen as such by Leo.

“I WHAT--” Leo cut himself off as he felt the tingle of danger behind them. He quickly lunged out of the way of a swipe, pushing Mikey in the opposite direction to ensure his safety. He knew Ghostbear would turn to take “Primetime” down first, leaving Mikey free. He landed harshly and turned himself around to face the bear mutant, knowing he needed to keep his attention all on him.

“Your brotherly talking is distracting you from the villain!” Ghostbear taunted, his massive body blocking the light of the moon. He raised a claw menacingly as his dark shadow was cast over a terrified Leo. Well, so he thought. Leo suddenly adopted an out of place casual posture instead, looking a lot like the cat that caught the canary.

“Well, your bloodthirsty vengeance is distracting _you_ from the little brother.” Leo raised an eyebrow mockingly.

Ghostbear didn’t even have the time to ponder the claim. A chain wrapped around his raised arm and halted his downward swing right in its tracks. He glared back at the smaller turtle using his kusari fundo as a tether--how did he hold him back so effortlessly?--before smirking dangerously.

“Ah-ah-ah. You forget so easily!” 

Mikey fell onto his butt as his weapon suddenly phased through the Ghost’s arm, his mutant abilities giving him the out. The wrestler leered at the teen as he turned back to his target, fist physical and ready to dish some damage. Ghostbear hesitated at the turtle’s overconfident smile and eyebrow raise, sword casually resting on his lap.

“Forget what?” Leo taunted back right as Ghostbear realized he was sinking, and he couldn’t feel the building he was standing on anymore.

Leo’s confidence lasted the time it took for Ghostbear to fall through the portal with a startled yelp. When the large man was gone, Leo immediately put away his sword and rushed to his feet, directly to Mikey.

“Thanks for the opening.” Leo said as their shells clacked against each other, both of them standing back-to-back. “I couldn’t send him too far away. We should run while he figures it out.”

They flinched as they heard the nearby roar of a really, really angry bear man.

“Ok, well, we can get a head start?” Leo offered instead.

“We already tried to outrun him!” Mikey pointed out.

“Well we can’t take him with just us!” Leo countered, frustrated. “Ghost mutant powers is so cheati--oh my god his mutant powers is literally to cheat.” Leo basked in the irony for a moment before yelling out, “Aaagggggghhh, I hate it here!”

“You’re good at plans, what do we do??”

“I’m not _good_ at anything, Mikey!” Leo yelled, feeling his stress rise.

“Yes you are!” Mikey yelled louder, throwing a hand at the spot Leo had just escaped death from. “You’re good at making plans--you made it so Ghostbear wouldn’t pay attention to me so that I could give you an opening, and you used that opening to buy us more time!” Leo looked at him desperately, still unsure. “You keep me safe when I’m distracted, you portaled Ghostbear away on the first try, you know how to talk people into things--” Mikey had been counting all of these feats on his fingers and paused to take a breath. “And you do all of these things without ever letting your insecurities get the best of you and I look up to you so much, Leo!”

“Wha-ME??” Leo spun around to face his little brother fully. “Why would you bothe-- _I look up to you!_ ”

“What??” Mikey hadn’t seen that one coming.

“You always know what to say, Mikey! You’re scary strong and you figured out mystic mojo before anybody else! Why look up to anyone, let alone someone who can’t even portal to New Jersey?”

There was a distant sound of a building wall being demolished and a roar following. The boys flinched at the proximity. Mikey wasted no time whipping back to his brother.

“Because you always get back up! Because you don’t let anyone else fall down! You learn from everything that’s happened and you let us all come with you, and you improve so fast!” Mikey grabbed onto Leo’s striped shoulders and gave him a gentle shake to coax the information into him. “You portaled a tank into an alternate dimension! And then _back_ into the City! Leo, that’s _awesome_!!”

“That,” Leo’s eyes darted all around them and he shook in Mikey’s hands, “that was an accident!”

“But you _did that_!” Mikey stressed. “And you learned from it! You sent us back home! Can’t you see how amazing that is??”

“I-”

“We haven’t even had these weapons for that long and you did _that_!” Mikey tightened his hold on his brother. “Leo, you’re awesome, man! How could we not look up to you?”

Leo’s breath got stuck in his chest. _We?_

A furred hand rose up from the edge of the building and anchored down into the material. It lifted up a large, muscular animalistic man with furious eyes. “ _You_.” He growled, relishing in the terrified faces he saw. “You cannot rid yourself of me. But I can rid myself of you!”

Mikey clutched at his brother’s hand at his side, watching the Ghost rise from his climb. Leo felt as if the moments were slowing to a crawl as he and Ghostbear met eyes from across the roof.

He tore his eyes from the villain to glance at his brother’s hand and send him a comforting squeeze back. At Mikey’s side was his weapon. He looked back at the villain, ready to attack with reckless abandon. His eyes trailed to the edge Ghostbear had just climbed over and was standing from. He glanced behind at their own edge where he saw no building to flee to, just the streets below. Leo sighed and tightened his grip on his brother a little more.

“I got it.” He said, and Mikey immediately sent a hopeful look at him. “We’ll do your idea.”

Mikey pondered for a moment before he, too, glanced at the space behind them. _Oh._ He smiled brightly and grabbed his weapon with his free hand, no questions asked. Leo unsheathed his odachi as the Bear began his charge once again.

“I know you can do it.” Mikey praised quietly.

“Well,” Leo watched the mutant approach. “....I’m Neon Leon.....of course I can. We got this.”

The two brothers stood at the edge of the building, the colors of the City illuminating their figures. A terrifying pro wrestler lunged at them, thinking with absolute certainty he finally had his prey. With their hands clasped tightly together, they gave a single, ready and synchronized nod, before leaping off. Ghostbear was less than a claw away from his victory, the need to win pushing him, quite literally off the edge. His eyes widened at the realization.

They were all going to die. Ghostbear yelled in panic, his prey forgotten.

Gravity pulled their bodies to the streets below, Leo leading the charge as is his natural talent. He put his fears and insecurities behind him, he couldn’t afford to let those show in moments like these. Besides, he was better now, more skilled, he had more practice.

He felt a squeeze in his hand. He squeezed back. Leave it to Mikey to catch onto his innate anxieties without even having to look at him.

From now on, he wouldn’t falter…..He had someone looking up to him.

Leo grinned with the determination to fill a hundred turtles and swung his blade precisely and, for the first time, truly confidently. In their trajectory, a brilliant blue portal peeled open. The brothers whooped as they entered, unafraid of where they would end. The Ghostbear yelled in terror as he was forced to follow after them.

For a moment, they were gone. The world was silent, eating up their whoops and hollers (and yells), as if they had never existed in the first place. Even the natural buzz of the City seemed muted, like their departure had taken the life of the world with them. 

Seconds ticked by with no return.

And then, at the skyline, another portal opened. Brothers with hands clasped tight and smiles open wide were launched up into the air, the momentum of the fall carrying their flight to the stars. Their laughter and joyful yells cut through the silence they left, and suddenly it was like the world was alive once again--the background noise of the city returning.

And with it, the yelling of the mutant bear flailing behind them.

The brothers and their unwilling passenger travelled the City in such a fashion. Their height would be stolen once again by gravity and they would fall back to the Earth. Before they could hit the ground, a brilliant blue portal would whisk them skyward. Up into the air they would fly before it all started over again.

Ghostbear began to wish they had just let him fall to the pavement, he could deal with the injuries later.

“There!” Leo pointed at an upcoming stone decorative gargoyle on the edge of a building. “On three!”

“Got it!” Mikey moved Leo’s hand onto the ridge of his shell so he could have both hands to begin his weapon’s swing and still keep Leo with him.

“One.” Leo tightened his hold on Mikey’s shell. “Two.” He tightened his other hold on his sword as they began to descend. “Three!”

Leo swung the blade in a large arc and Mikey threw his kusari fundo at the gargoyle. The chain wrapped around the stone and their momentum redirected toward the newly made swing. The brothers swung down and back up to safety while Ghostbear continued his descent into the portal.

The height of their swing matched perfectly the height of the building, the kusari fundo slipped from the hold and Leo quickly sheathed his own weapon to grab onto Mikey. He made their landing onto the rooftop, tucking and rolling while careful to keep Mikey’s head protected in the action. They tumbled to a stop, safe from danger.

Before he could get lost in a celebration, Leo clambered back up to gaze out at the City. He watched as one last portal opened to deposit Ghostbear over the last block of buildings and directly into the Narrows’ waters. Out of their metaphorical hair and too far to track them again.

Safe.

Leo sighed in relief. He did it. He did it.

He did That.

He was tackled by his little brother and laughed at the cheers and whoops and the declaration of “Scute Squad!!! Yeah, baby!!!”

"Just wait until we tell Raph we fought Ghost Bear out here! He'll forget all about your little curfew that we totally blew while running."

"Wha- _My_ curfew?? You have the same curfew, Leo!!!"

"What's that? _Little brother_?"

“Next time, I’m asking _Donnie_ to do fun tricks with me!” Mikey punched his brother’s shoulder good-naturedly before running from his return swipe.

“Wha-Hey!” Leo quickly chased after him. “Donnie can’t do the portal-y stuff I can! I’m the portals guy, remember??”

Mikey blew a raspberry at him.

“Nobody can do what I can do!!!” Leo claimed loudly.

And, for the first time in a long time…. He believed it.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a secret Santa gift that I'm just getting around to posting, finally ^^; whoops
> 
> Leo & Mikey are such a FUN duo! And it was fun figuring out how Ghost Bear was gonna play into it all--he's such an interesting villain!
> 
> Also I really like to think about how Leo's portal skills in particular got stronger and stronger throughout the show--I want to see his progress more in depth!


End file.
